When I was still working as a game programmer in London, there were ~70 people working in what was effectively one big open-plan office. (it was somewhere between L and T-shaped, so not everyone could see everyone else) I used to come in well before everyone else, around 8:00-8:15 (most others came in ~9:45) because I was so much more productive in the 1½ hours with nobody around - it probably accounted for 50% of what I got done in a day.
Of course, come crunch time, I had to stay in just as late as everyone else, so my 8am starts quickly disappeared, and productivity along with it.
The communication argument for open-plan never made sense to me: if you want to talk to someone who isn't an immediate neighbour, you need to get up and walk over anyway. And you can still talk to your neighbours if you have shared 2-4 person offices, which are a vast improvement. (I prefer being on my own altogether, but maybe that's just me being a misanthrope)
I like sharing an office with another developer working on the same project. Working by my self with the door closed is more productive, but less social. What I hate is sharing an office with someone that is working on some other project.
Of course, come crunch time, I had to stay in just as late as everyone else, so my 8am starts quickly disappeared, and productivity along with it.
The communication argument for open-plan never made sense to me: if you want to talk to someone who isn't an immediate neighbour, you need to get up and walk over anyway. And you can still talk to your neighbours if you have shared 2-4 person offices, which are a vast improvement. (I prefer being on my own altogether, but maybe that's just me being a misanthrope)